Jacksonville Jaguars: There’s still hope for Justin Blackmon
By Ryan Disdier
After being suspended for the entire 2014 season, things don’t look great for Jacksonville Jaguars WR Justin Blackmon. The once highly coveted wide receiver out of Oklahoma State has seen his off-field issues consume his career. It seems as if Blackmon has as many DUIs as he has touchdowns, and he can never seem to stay out of trouble. Blackmon was arrested for the third time last July.
However, despite all of the troubles, people are optimistic that Blackmon will return to the team in 2015. Following his most recent arrest, Blackmon checked into a treatment facility and underwent rehab. The belief is that Blackmon is dealing with his problems and is trying to better himself as a person.
Blackmon, who just turned 25, is still young and he still has a lot to offer the Jags. He has been compared to players like Terrell Owens due to his talent, and his career is still far from over.
A returning Blackmon would give the Jaguars their first legitimate group of wide receivers in a while. Marqise Lee, Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and possibly Cecil Shorts III make up the current group of wide outs, and a player of Blackmon’s caliber would help elevate the offense.
It’s not like Blackmon is a slouch either. Blackmon finished with 64 receptions, 865 yards and five touchdowns in his rookie year, and he was averaging over 100 yards per game before his suspension in 2013. So with that production, albeit off of 20 total games, it’s not crazy to think Blackmon could be a Pro Bowl wide receiver at this juncture of his career. The guy has talent, which is the reason he was drafted so high.
With Blackmon back, the Jags would suddenly have a plethora of young talent on the offensive side of the ball. Perhaps most importantly, though, is the fact that the Jaguars would have a plethora of talent surrounding Blake Bortles, the man they envision as the franchise quarterback.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. Blackmon still has to get reinstated by the league, and that’s no easy task. Michael DiRocco of ESPN wrote an article discussing the process a player has to go through to get reinstated.
"“A player must formally apply in writing no sooner than 60 days before the one-year anniversary day of the letter he received from the NFL notifying him he was suspended. In Blackmon’s case, he was suspended on November 1st, 2013. In the players application he must include information about his treatment, abstinence from substance abuse throughout the entire suspension, involvement in any substance-abuse related instances, and arrest/or convictions for any criminal activity (including substance-abuse related offenses).”"
As you can see, getting reinstated isn’t as simple as sending in six boxtops for proof of purchase. Everybody in the Jacksonville organization is hoping for the best with Blackmon, but I’m sure no one is getting too high of hopes based on Blackmon’s track record.
We’ll have to wait and see, but just try to imagine a Bortles-Blackmon connection for the next eight years. There’s no doubt in my mind that Blackmon wants to be part of the youth movement going on in Jacksonville. Something’s brewing down there, and Blackmon might be the missing ingredient.